Public Records

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Public Records

Public Records

Public records are an important class of genealogical sources. These records are typically collected by local, state, and national governmental agencies. In accordance with local and national laws certain types of public records have been released for public access. Corporations and private organizations also collect and disseminate records about individuals. <br><br> Examples include tax assessments, property liens, license applications, court records, vehicle registrations, voter registrations, and telephone and address directories. These records assist genealogists and family historians by providing information about a person's current and past residences, age, birthdate, and other family members living at the same address. These "residence events" provide important clues to family historians as they help a researcher locate other records about individuals and families as work can be concentrated on specific counties, cities, and even neighborhoods. For example, knowing where an individual lived leads directly to investigation of records held at nearby churches, cemeteries, schools, and municipalities. Public records databases regularly contain a conglomeration of many different public record sources. These records can also be used to identify and contact possible relatives for research collaboration, reunions, DNA research, and kinship determination projects.

Notable collections in this category

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U.S. Public Records Index

816,043,801 records

U.S. Social Security Applications and Claims, 1936-2007

240,605,123 records

Canada Phone and Address Listings

13,326,571 records

United States, Medicare Public Provider Enrollment

1,868,949 records

New York City, Department of Buildings Job Applications

1,377,779 records